Mass Deportation

Chicago, IL

location

Target of Operations Safeguard and Midway Blitz (1,800+ arrests). Site of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez killing and Marimar Martinez shooting. Mayor Brandon Johnson created ICE-Free Zones. Journalists shot with pepper spray bullets and tear-gassed covering protests.

Customs and Border Protection

organization

Deployed thousands of agents to interior cities far beyond traditional border enforcement. CBP agents killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, shot Marimar Martinez in Chicago, and shot two people in a Portland hospital parking lot. Border troops tripled to ~7,600. A 170-mile border stretch was designated a "military installation," transferring California's border jurisdiction to the Navy.

Department of Homeland Security

organization

Under Secretary Noem, DHS oversaw the enforcement apparatus. Rescinded sensitive-location protections on January 21, 2025. Declared at least 16 shootings "justified" before investigations completed. Subpoenaed Meta to unmask Instagram accounts identifying a Border Patrol agent. Courthouse arrests and warrantless arrests surged.

Donald Trump

person

Ordered the mass deportation campaign. Signed the Laken Riley Act (first bill of second term). Invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Deployed military to American cities. Rescinded sensitive-location protections on Day One. Issued birthright citizenship executive order (blocked by all courts, Supreme Court hearing April 2026). Threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in January 2026. After the Good and Pretti killings, stated they "should not have happened."

Greg Abbott

person

Texas Governor and vocal supporter of the crackdown, offering state resources to assist ICE and CBP operations.

Career Border Patrol official who served as commander-at-large from October 2025 to January 2026. Led Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. After Alex Pretti's killing, Bovino falsely claimed Pretti planned to "massacre" agents — a claim the administration did not substantiate. Also lied under oath about threats from protesters (per a federal judge who extended a TRO against tear gas). Removed from command and replaced by Tom Homan.

Largest single-site worksite enforcement action in DHS history. ~475 workers arrested at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant in Ellabell, Georgia. Multi-agency: ICE, FBI, IRS, ATF, DEA, Georgia State Patrol. Majority detained were South Korean nationals (300+), plus Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, and Indonesian workers. Sparked diplomatic dispute between US and South Korea — images of handcuffed Korean workers caused outrage in Seoul.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

organization

Primary agency executing the mass deportation campaign. Under Todd Lyons and Tom Homan, ICE conducted operations across the country. At least 30 shootings by immigration agents since January 2025, resulting in at least 8 deaths. Arrests of people with no criminal record surged 2,450%. Detention population hit an all-time high of 66,000. ICE's public affairs division was transformed into an "influencer-style media machine" producing cinematic arrest footage for social media. ICE spent $300+ million on social media monitoring, facial recognition, and location tracking.

Kristi Noem

person

Sworn in as DHS Secretary January 25, 2025. Personally joined ICE agents on Minneapolis raids in January 2026. Oversaw Operation Metro Surge deploying 2,000+ agents. Claimed 622,000+ removals and 10,000+ arrests in Minneapolis (figures disputed by journalists). An impeachment resolution (H.Res.996) has been introduced against her. Implemented 7-day advance notice for Congressional visits to detention facilities, limiting oversight.

Laken Riley Act Signed (Jan 29, 2025)

event

First bill signed into law during Trump's second term, January 29, 2025. Senate voted 64-35 with 12 Democrats joining. Mandates detention of undocumented immigrants accused (not convicted) of theft, burglary, assault on police, and other crimes. Gives states the right to sue the federal government over immigration. 17,500 arrests under Laken Riley authority through December 2025.

Launched December 1, 2025. Formally announced December 4. On January 6, 2026, DHS called it "the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out," deploying ~2,000 agents (later ~3,000 — more than Minneapolis and St. Paul police forces combined). Led by Gregory Bovino until his removal after the Pretti killing. DHS claimed 3,000+ arrests by January 19 and 4,000+ by February. Only ~5% of arrestees had violent crime records. Resulted in two American civilians killed (Good, Pretti), one Venezuelan shot (Sosa-Celis), the Minnesota general strike, and the National Shutdown.

Launched September 8, 2025, named in honor of Katie Abraham. Multi-agency surge in Illinois and Lake County, Indiana. Over 1,800 arrests reported by DHS. Hundreds of federal agents deployed with documented use of force. During this operation, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez was shot and killed by ICE, and U.S. citizen Marimar Martinez was shot 5 times by Border Patrol.

First major operation, originally planned for January 21, 2025, but delayed due to targeting leaks. Coordinated by ICE field agents out of Chicago, bypassing Biden-era leadership. Multi-city raids on January 23 hit Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Miami, NYC, Newark, Philadelphia, Seattle, and DC. 538 immigrants detained.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor. Widely called the "mastermind" of the crackdown. In May 2025, directed ICE to aim for 3,000 arrests/day. Runs daily 10 a.m. calls (including Saturdays) demanding updates. Co-directed with Noem instructions to "supercharge immigrant arrests." Only 17% of Americans have a positive impression of Miller (YouGov, Jan 2026).

Todd Lyons

person

Acting head of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations since March 9, 2025. Authored a secret memorandum (May 12, 2025) instructing agents they may enter homes by force based solely on administrative warrants — leaked by DHS whistleblowers via Whistleblower Aid. Compared mass deportations to "Amazon trying to get your Prime delivery within 24 hours." A federal judge found he violated at least 96 court orders in Minnesota since January 1, 2026 alone. Ordered to appear in federal court by Chief Judge Schiltz, who accused ICE of failing to comply with "dozens of court orders."

Tom Homan

person

Appointed November 2024 as "border czar" overseeing all deportations. Pushed for 3,000 arrests/day. Oversaw CECOT deportation flights that defied a court order, claiming they were "above international waters." Dispatched to Minneapolis in January 2026 to take over operations after two Americans were killed. In February 2026, announced partial withdrawal of 700 agents from Minnesota.